Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

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Whakamole
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Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Whakamole »

Airline travel isn't too fun right now (I'm not sure if it's ever been fun), so I'm thinking of an extended road trip outside the Pacific NW where I've lived for a while. So - Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas, perhaps part of Wyoming. Looking at September after most of the crowds have cleared out and temperatures start to cool. Also I'm scoping out areas to live if our office has an extended WFH program, and perhaps retire to.

Any ideas about cities to visit, sights to see? Of course there are the big national parks in Whistler, Yellowstone, and the Grant Tetons, so maybe a bit more than the usual tourist spots.
Random Poster
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Random Poster »

In Montana: Bozeman (lovely place, see museum of the Rockies, eat at the co-op, get a donut from Granny’s Gourmet Donuts, go to Three Forks and visit the headwaters of the Missouri state park), Helena (take a guided tour of the capitol and see the state museums), Kalispell/Whitefish (see Glacier, if nothing else), Great Falls (Charlie Russell museum), Missoula (not a fan, but might as well see it), and Billings (not much there, really, but makes for a good overnight stopping point, although they do have a good goodwill store). And if you time it right, visit Pompey’s Pillar.

In Idaho: Coeur D Alene (not a fan, seemed like a trip back to the 70s, but others seem to like it). I enjoyed Pocatello, but can’t really explain why. Idaho Falls had a nice library.

In Wyoming: Buffalo (eat at Winchester’s), and Sheridan (cute downtown, nice library, see the Mint Bar and King Ropes). Might as well see Cody too.

In the Dakotas: Surely you are aware of the Badlands and Custer State Park and the surrounds. Head north to Roosevelt National Park too. And maybe go a bit more east to Pierre and see the state history museum and the capitol, and visit one of the very few state capitals not connected by interstate highway. Go even more east and visit Brookings and get some cookies and cream ice cream (and a few other flavors) at SDSU and hit up their art museum and the town’s gardens.
Zeno
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Zeno »

It really depends on factors such as: (1) amount of time; (2) general itinerary; and (3) what you want to experience. One rough idea is an outward leg that cuts through Montana then dips down into SD, then heads back home via Wyoming.

In the northern part of the state, Cody, Lander and Sheridan are nice, for example. One of the best drives in the lower 48 is the one over the Big Horn Mountains. Devils Tower is cool.
NYCaviator
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by NYCaviator »

Wyoming: Pinedale or Jackson. The Tetons and Wind River range are gorgeous. Very expensive and crowded during peak season though.

NE Idaho, is just on the other side of Jackson and is equally as beautiful but not nearly as pretentious. Definitely worth a look if you’re into outdoor activities.
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lthenderson
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by lthenderson »

Whenever planning a road trip, I first sort of narrow down the roads and route I'm thinking about and load that into Google Maps. Then I just visualize the route and make note of major towns or features along the way and in a new tab, web search "Things to see near [town name]" or "Things to see along [insert road name]". After that, it is just a matter of picking things that appeal to you and fit into your time frame.
Njm8845
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Njm8845 »

Whakamole wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:20 am Airline travel isn't too fun right now (I'm not sure if it's ever been fun), so I'm thinking of an extended road trip outside the Pacific NW where I've lived for a while. So - Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas, perhaps part of Wyoming. Looking at September after most of the crowds have cleared out and temperatures start to cool. Also I'm scoping out areas to live if our office has an extended WFH program, and perhaps retire to.

Any ideas about cities to visit, sights to see? Of course there are the big national parks in Whistler, Yellowstone, and the Grant Tetons, so maybe a bit more than the usual tourist spots.
We live in Montana. I think the Whistler you’re referring to is in Canada, pretty far away from the other stuff.

Our favorite national park is Tetons. Much prefer that to its bigger sister, Yellowstone.

I would highly recommend Beartooth Pass, but would urge to visit earlier than later. We’ve been in blizzards at the higher altitudes multiple times in late September.

Chico hot springs is a fun cheap place to stay for the night.

We’re going to Big Sky this weekend; it’s always a lot of fun.
JackoC
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by JackoC »

WyomingFIRE wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:33 am It really depends on factors such as: (1) amount of time; (2) general itinerary; and (3) what you want to experience. One rough idea is an outward leg that cuts through Montana then dips down into SD, then heads back home via Wyoming.

In the northern part of the state, Cody, Lander and Sheridan are nice, for example. One of the best drives in the lower 48 is the one over the Big Horn Mountains. Devils Tower is cool.
Yes. I like this part of the country. We've visited a few times. One segment of our 7k mile road trip last month was Coeur D'Alene (CDA)>I-90 corridor of MT>Badlands NP in SD (so just clipped the far NE corner of WY this time :happy ). Whereas an earlier part of the trip (from NJ) was more about hiking in NP/NM's in CO, UT, NV, sometimes a bit grueling (all relative, some people would chuckle at what I'd call a bit grueling, 'ha, that's *nothing*', others would say 'me do that?, no way'). But in the northern ID>MT portion we were mainly just driving, enjoying scenery from the road, 'stopping by', Segway tour of CDA (lots of fun), Helena (El Vaquero Taco's, MT Historical Society Museum), Bozeman (Museum of the Rockies). At Badlands it was back to some pretty strenuous (again for us) hiking. Different things. IME Tetons and Yellowstone draw large numbers of people who just want an easy look from car or the easiest trails (perfectly fine, really beautiful things) and people who want to really get into it. But I'm not sure Badlands, for example, is that worthwhile just to look from the loop road or the easiest trails. Which kind of explains why some parks are less popular than others (though Badlands was fairly crowded on the easy trails in mid June, it's much less usual IME for harder trails to be crowded at any NP than for parking lots and lodging to be crowded, or unavailable).

Somebody else mentioned, snow. Our road trip car (BMW M2) is RWD and I have the summer tires mounted if we're mainly going to encounter warm roads, so we have to be careful to avoid late spring/early fall snow in mountains. In fact it's one reason we may reassess the optimal road trip car.
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Whakamole
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Whakamole »

I have a Subaru, so I'm not particularly concerned about snow.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
Otnot
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Otnot »

If you are from PNW, you probably know this, but we are in fire season now. Always worth checking on where the active fires are and where the smoke is bad (which can be hundreds of miles away from the actual fires). Have fun!
DSInvestor
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by DSInvestor »

A little bit further than the places you listed but I would add Southern Utah for consideration. Great weather in Sept-October and incredibly beautiful scenery every turn you take. 5 National Parks, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah State Parks, BLM land.
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Wilderness Librarian »

In absence of more specific activities and types of places that interest you it sounds like you want a generic exploratory trip. Fair enough you learn a lot that way.

Suggest purchasing paper topo atlases and sheet maps from Benchmark https://www.benchmarkmaps.com/

Some of their notational and indexing material is really good. Official; state road maps and national forest and BLM maps are good too. Turn off your Google maps and GPS use them only when you feel you have to.

Other people's recommendations are good but pretty much the standard stuff. But then again standard stuff is good - that is why it is standard - but also limiting.

Can't imagine why anyone would say Coeur d' Alene is back to the 70s. Wish it was.

Keep in mind September brings a catch 22: family travel is down but those hunters are going to come out in full force with multi-vehicle camps and huge horse trailers and such. Not as bad as it sounds but requires some adjustments sometimes. That is part of the realities of the era.

For WFH locations keep in mind that zillions of other people are looking at exactly the same features and locations you are. Above comment about CdA especially applies here.

Also keep in mind interior NW is hot, dry smokey and getting much more so with passing years. Still nice but totally different than even a decade ago.
financiallycurious
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by financiallycurious »

Driggs, Idaho is a nice Jackson alternative. If money is not an issue, Moose, WY is a lovely town near skiing and Grand Teton National Park. Whitefish, MT is my personal favorite summer town - for boating, you have access to whitefish, flathead and other lakes, plus the entrance to Glacier at West Glacier is not far, and there is great golf, mountain biking, hiking and horse riding. CDA also nice.
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by thatme »

If you want to skip the crowds of the Tetons, keep coming south in WY to Laramie and then a bit west to the Snowy Range. It’s the exact opposite of crowded and pricy - in fact there’s not a lot of businesses in the mountains at all, so plan ahead! I love it there, and Laramie is a great smaller college town.
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MJS
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by MJS »

If you like to garden, or just stroll with the locals, take a look at botanical gardens and arboretums:
* Idaho Botanic Garden. Music in the Meditation Garden thru September. https://idahobotanicalgarden.org
* Montana, Tizer Botanic Gardens & Arboretum. Compact, but their herb garden is excellent. https://www.tizergardens.com
* North Dakota, literally straddling Canadian border. International Peace Garden. Classic formal gardens, with both a carillon and camping ground. https://peacegarden.com
* South Dakota State University, McCrory Gardens + Arboretum and also the Art Museum. Educational, restful. https://www.sdstate.edu/mccrory-gardens
* Wyoming, Cheyenne Botanic Garden. Best introduction to ... challenging!... regional gardening. https://www.botanic.org/
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JupiterJones
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by JupiterJones »

The bulk of the town of Cour d'Alene is just your average mid-sized town. But the lake is beautiful. So if you're either staying in a lake view room at the Hotel Cour d'Alene (especially higher up the tower), or can get a lakeside Air B&B or something, it's well worth a stop, IMHO. Otherwise... meh?

I also thought Missoula was pretty cool. When I get back to that part of the country I'll try to get to Great Falls, if only to visit the Sip 'n' Dip lounge. :sharebeer

We also found the Sawtooth Valley to be quite beautiful. Several places to stay in Stanley and seemed like there were a lot of hiking/hunting/fishing things to do.
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Isabelle77
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Isabelle77 »

Just returned from 10 days in the mountain west. My husband called it the bougie trail. ;)

Started in Park City, did some sight seeing and a lot of eating.

Drove down to Jackson and spent a few days in the Grand Tetons, wasn’t nearly as crowded as we thought it would be, although Jackson was packed. Hiking and a float trip, loved the park.

Then worked our way through Driggs and up to Sun Valley. Stayed at the resort and did some hiking. Car show was in town in Ketchum, which was cool.

Finished up in Boise (actually loved Boise, I’d never been) and a quick hop back to PDX.
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Isabelle77 »

JupiterJones wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:26 pm The bulk of the town of Cour d'Alene is just your average mid-sized town. But the lake is beautiful. So if you're either staying in a lake view room at the Hotel Cour d'Alene (especially higher up the tower), or can get a lakeside Air B&B or something, it's well worth a stop, IMHO. Otherwise... meh?

I also thought Missoula was pretty cool. When I get back to that part of the country I'll try to get to Great Falls, if only to visit the Sip 'n' Dip lounge. :sharebeer

We also found the Sawtooth Valley to be quite beautiful. Several places to stay in Stanley and seemed like there were a lot of hiking/hunting/fishing things to do.
I prefer Sandpoint to CDA.
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Hayduke »

We like the Bitterroot valley south of Missoula. Hamilton is a cool little town and there's a lot of hiking to explore in the area.

Second the earlier recommendations for Beartooth pass and Victor/Driggs.

The Wind River range in WY gets a lot less traffic than the Tetons but still has very impressive mountains and wildlife.

Maybe also consider Craters of the Mon NP.
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MrBobcat
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by MrBobcat »

Whakamole wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:59 am I have a Subaru, so I'm not particularly concerned about snow.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
You might be on the Beartooth pass in a blizzard. It's usually closed down between October - April. But if you can do it, it's IMO worth it. Red Lodge is a nice town too.
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by SmallSaver »

JupiterJones wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:26 pm I also thought Missoula was pretty cool. When I get back to that part of the country I'll try to get to Great Falls, if only to visit the Sip 'n' Dip lounge. :sharebeer
Sadly, Piano Pat has recently passed away.

OP, just be aware that smoke season has started and it'd likely going to be a bad one - like literally can't see the mountains bad. I'd keep an eye on regional smoke maps and plan accordingly.
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Whakamole
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by Whakamole »

SmallSaver wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:46 pm
JupiterJones wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:26 pm I also thought Missoula was pretty cool. When I get back to that part of the country I'll try to get to Great Falls, if only to visit the Sip 'n' Dip lounge. :sharebeer
Sadly, Piano Pat has recently passed away.

OP, just be aware that smoke season has started and it'd likely going to be a bad one - like literally can't see the mountains bad. I'd keep an eye on regional smoke maps and plan accordingly.
That I know. One reason I am aiming for September, since it's bad right now. Unless it gets worse in September?

(Also earlier, I said Whistler, when I meant Glacier.)
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by SmallSaver »

Whakamole wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:51 pm
SmallSaver wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 3:46 pm
JupiterJones wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:26 pm I also thought Missoula was pretty cool. When I get back to that part of the country I'll try to get to Great Falls, if only to visit the Sip 'n' Dip lounge. :sharebeer
Sadly, Piano Pat has recently passed away.

OP, just be aware that smoke season has started and it'd likely going to be a bad one - like literally can't see the mountains bad. I'd keep an eye on regional smoke maps and plan accordingly.
That I know. One reason I am aiming for September, since it's bad right now. Unless it gets worse in September?

(Also earlier, I said Whistler, when I meant Glacier.)
Once it gets going it generally stays bad until the first big fall rain, that's usually sometime in September. It's all stochastic though. I'm speaking from a western MT perspective, not sure about other places. The way our weather works we seem to be downwind of a lot, other places like CO or UT might have different dynamics.
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Re: Mountain west/upper midwest travel ideas

Post by White Coat Investor »

DSInvestor wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 11:31 am A little bit further than the places you listed but I would add Southern Utah for consideration. Great weather in Sept-October and incredibly beautiful scenery every turn you take. 5 National Parks, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah State Parks, BLM land.
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